Climate activists are putting pressure on television personality Bill Nye the "Science Guy" not to attend President Trump's State of the Union next week, saying that doing so would make him a bigot and climate denier.
"Bill, please be the Science Guy, not the Bigoted Climate Denial Guy," said climate activist groups ClimateTruth.org, Climate Hawks Vote, MoveOn.org, and Demand Progress in a petition sent to Nye on Friday with thousands of signatures asking him not to attend the address.
"Cancel your plans to attend Trump's State of the Union as Rep. [Jim] Bridenstine's guest," it said. Bridenstine is Trump's pick to lead NASA, and a target of the groups that call him a climate denier.
Nye, who recognizes climate change, is still planning to attend the president's Tuesday night address as the guest of Republican Rep. Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma, his office confirmed, calling the activists' petition "foolishness."
Bridenstine is being pressured by the groups to withdraw from his nomination as Trump's NASA chief. The liberal activist groups have launched a website called stopbridenstine.com to oppose him.
"Jim Bridenstine is a fossil fuel industry-funded politician with no science background who denies the reality of climate change," according to ClimateTruth.org.
"He has no business running NASA," the activist's petition read. "As you know, NASA performs critical climate science research and if the Senate confirms Bridenstine's nomination he could work with President Trump to end NASA's earth science missions and ground essential research satellites."
Nye said last week that he plans to attend the State of the Union to hear firsthand what Trump plans for space exploration in his second year budget.
Nye is president and CEO of the Planetary Society, which advocates for space science and exploration.
